What Problems Faced The Weimar Republic In 1918

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What problems faced the new republic from 1918 – 1923?

Why did it survive?

One of the most defining problems of Republic was the problems they faced from the left.  The left wing activists were principally organised by the KPD and included hit squads such as the Red Veterans League. They were anti republic, anti democratic and wanted to establish a soviet state based on the Russian model (soviets and Red Guard).

The first prominent event that faced the new republic was the Kiel Mutiny which took place on 30th October 1918. This formed part of the ‘Revolution From Below’ which was a revolution by the German people and not the elite.  On the morning of October 30th 1918 sailors at the naval bases of Kiel and Wilhelmshaven refused to obey orders to launch one final attack on the British naval fleet. They refused to obey such orders as they believed it to be a suicide mission. Furthermore on November 2nd the sailors at these bases raised the red flag of communism; this mutiny did not only affect the naval bases of Kiel and Wilhelmshaven it further spread to ordinary German workers. At a mass meeting of around 20,000 sailors and workers a German republic was demanded and a sailor/workers soviet was set up.

After this uprising in Kiel and Wilhelmshaven there was an additional uprising in Munich. In Munich the monarchy was overthrown and an independent socialist republic was declared by its leader Kurt Eisner, a former member of the moderate SPD. HE turned to the USPD as he wanted more extreme methods to destroy the enemies of democracy. During the revolt Eisner followed the Russian model and created Red Guards and workers soviets. Eisner’s republic however only lasted until May 1919 when it was horrifically thwarted by right winged demobilised soldiers called Freikorps (Freekorp). Around 700 were killed including its left winged leader Eisner himself.

        Due to the pressures of the uprisings that took place in Germany and Munich, the Kaiser was persuaded to abdicate by Prince Max of Baden who was convinced that a full scale communist revolution was going to sweep the country. The chancellorship was handed over to Friederich Ebert the leader of the moderate SPD. In November of the same year a republic was hastily declared by Philip Scheidemann from a balcony of the Reichstag whilst a communist revolution was declared by future leader of the KPD Karl Liebernicht.

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        After the German republic was hastily declared there was to be a further uprising from the Spartacists on January 1919. The Spartacists uprising was against the calling of a Constituent Assembly as the left wing Spartacists rejected any form of parliamentary democracy. They believed that a constituent assembly would never establish a truly socialist state and thus decided to seize power by force. They wanted an end to the national assembly and all power transferred to the workers and soldiers councils. Furthermore they said that they (The Spartacists) would take over all large farms and industries and the state ...

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